Iron Fists: Different from Fighting
by GrimGrave
Summary: Sequel to Iron Fists: Lion vs Dragon. ("There is no place for lies between us, Xiao-Long." Arslan pulled away and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. Her eyes were narrowed and her gaze was stern.) Yang and Arslan are dating. Fluff and relationship talk. Rated T for mild suggestive themes.


**RWBY does not belong to me, but to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. GrimGrave owns nothing.**

**Iron Fists: Different from Fighting**

Arslan shielded her eyes as she scoured the plaza. The weather was fair, but the sun was blazing today; she fanned herself while she kept an eye out for the blonde brawler she was supposed to meet up with, her heart drumming lightly beneath her breast. Arslan, as per usual, hid her excitement behind a calm exterior.

And then she spotted her; Yang stood at the opposite end of the plaza as she arched her back and stretched her arms skyward. She was dressed in perfectly fitting jeans, a pair of runner's shoes instead of her combat boots, a white t-shirt, and a bracelet + ring combo for accessories with her aviator sunglasses hanging over the collar of her t-shirt. It was casual, simple, and good-looking. It certainly did not hurt that the t-shirt helped Yang show off her strong, slim arms and the jeans accentuated her rear.

Arslan wetted her lips. She looked good- No, better than good! The brawler was a bombshell and it still strange to her think of anyone as such.

Her heartrate quickened as it always did whenever Yang was involved nowadays; three months' worth of dating – three months of getting to know each other better with the occasional fight to spice it up – had not diminished this effect the brawler had on her. Arslan had never bothered with romance or dating in the past as she had opted to focus entirely on her Huntress training. Her private life was simple enough with her taking care of herself, meditating, and occasionally hanging out with the few friends she had.

Now that Yang had entered her life, things had of course changed and she was more conscious about her appearance than normally. Everyone wants to look their best for people they are interested in after all.

She peeked over at her reflection in the nearby shop window; simple black woollen pants with drawstrings that reached up to her navel (something very common back home) and a white short-sleeved martial artist shirt (again from her home) that was accentuated with scarlet at the ends, and open sandals. As uncomplicated informal and as it could be, just the way she had intended.

Reassured and satisfied, Arslan sauntered over. Poor Yang was scouring the crowds looking worried.

_`She must've been early as to not make me wait. As usual.´_ She smiled at the thought and approached the brawler until she could reach out and poke her shoulder. The startled little yelp that followed was adorable.

"You're always so early," Arslan said as smooth as always. "You're really that eager, huh?"

Yang took a quick gander at the strong, slender arms before meeting her stare with a lopsided smirk. God she looked so sexy right then and it was still weird for the martial artist to consider. "Can you blame me?"

"I suppose not. I'm always looking forward to our dates just as much as you do," Arslan responded with a small, lopsided smile. "Where will we go this time?"

Yang's body-language screamed `Nervous´. Odd. She cleared her throat. "Well, I was thinking we could take this opportunity to enjoy the weather while we head to a small bistro and grab something to eat. Then afterwards I'll take you wherever you want. We could go see a movie or-"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, Yang. A walk and something to eat sounds perfect."

The brawler looked stupefied for a moment. She offered her arm. "Oh. G-Good! Well then, shall we?"

Arslan chuckled and linked her arm with Yang's. "Such a gentlewoman."

Their walk through town was as casual as one would imagine; they talked about the usual stuff.

"So how's training coming along?"

"I'm making some sweet progress," Yang replied as she flexed her free arm proudly. "I've pushed myself a bit extra this month."

"It's good to push your limits, but don't overdo it. You need to rest as well, but that's not what I meant. I was referring to your Huntress training."

"Oh! There are no problems on that front either!" Yang exclaimed. "Our missions have been accomplished fairly easily if I do say so myself."

"Good to hear."

"And uh…you?" The brawler eyed her expectantly.

Arslan scoffed. "We're still one of the top classes of Haven."

Yang laughed. "I shouldn't have bothered asking. Of course you still are."

"Don't think like that. I appreciate that you asked. It shows that you're interested. Besides, we did have a bit of problem with a Goliath a while back, but that just means we push ourselves that much harder."

"So for every time you face an obstacle, you train even harder?"

"Indeed," Arslan replied. "Learned it from traveling Huntsmen from Vacuo; given their harsh climate, they have to train probably harder than anyone. So when they face something that actually stops them, they respond by training themselves at least twice as hard."

"That's awesome! I should try it out then!"

"Don't overdo it. I told you."

"Right, right…" Yang's words trailed off. She seemed to zone off with the way her gaze absentmindedly wandered, never focusing on anything. The silence eventually became awkward which was rare.

No, not even that. It had never happened before. Usually the brawler was a lot more talkative. Smooth even and joking about, that was her thing so to speak.

"Is something on your mind?" Arslan eventually asked. "Something seems a bit off with you today."

"Huh? N-No! I'm fine, just…uh…Am I the only one getting hungry here?"

_`This took a weird turn.´_ "Yang."

"No seriously, I'm fine. So, how about that training, huh?"

"Yang. There's definitely something off about you. "

"I don't know what you're talking about-"

"There is no place for lies between us, Xiao-Long." Arslan pulled away and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. Her eyes were narrowed and her gaze was stern. "You have been acting different from how you usually are. I've battled you enough times to know you; cheerful, energetic, and a bit of a jokester, but straightforward and more importantly: _confident_ – I don't see this confidence in you anymore. At least, it's not as strong. I want to know why."

As Yang met her unwavering stare she sighed. She shifted her weight from one foot to her other and let her gaze then wander aimlessly, refusing to meet the martial artist's.

Yang rubbed her neck. "Yeah, I'm different. Okay, so… I'm serious about you; I can't afford to beat around the bush with sarcastic remarks or jokes. How could you take me seriously if all I did was crack puns or goofed around? I've done that a lot over these past months and…I need to show you properly that I care about you, Arslan. If I messed this chance up I would never forgive myself. ...I'm not all jokes, you know; there's more to me than that. And to tell you the truth, I was so excited to take you out on a date that it never occurred to me that it could go further…and I got nervous. Fighting I can do, but this is different from fighting and… I haven't ever been in a proper relationship before. So…yeah."

Arslan's expression greatly softened and her body relaxed. She appeared taken aback and seemingly at a loss for words as she frequently opened her mouth as if to speak. Finally she did. "I wasn't aware you felt this way. I'm glad you told me, though. It clears any doubts I had in my mind, but you shouldn't worry. Tasteless as they may be, I do enjoy your humour, Yang. There's a lot I like about you, in fact." She wetted her lips as her eyelids gently lowered, the flirty curve of her lopsided smile making Yang's heart throb. "You said you've never been in a proper relationship and neither have I. We've been dating for three months and I know you're serious about me. How about we stop dancing around this and make it official?"

Yang stepped forward without thinking. She couldn't stifle the smile that crept up on her face or her heart that hammered wildly beneath her breast. "So…a couple, then; an actual couple."

"I do like the sound of that, if I say so myself. To be honest, I didn't expect this to go on for three months either, but I'm certainly not complaining," Arslan replied. She took Yang's hand in hers as the brawler hugged her waist and slowly pulled the mocha-skinned beauty close.

"As soon as I first saw you at the Vytal festival, I knew I had to ask you out one way or another. I considered myself lucky when I could, but to actually call you my girlfriend?" She beamed at the platinum-blonde with a wide grin. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

"This ain't a dream, Yang." She brought her lips to the brawlers and tenderly pressed them together. The contact was electrifying and the taste of strawberries was overwhelmingly addictive all of a sudden. "It's so much better," she said, short on breath for whatever reason.

"I'll say," Yang replied in-between breaths. "Let me just take a hot second to consider how lucky I am right now."

"One," Arslan joked – _joked!_ – and pressed her lips against Yang's again. Food could wait a while longer.


End file.
